


Fire and Stone (Day 3 of the Azulaweek 2020 Prompt: 'Friendship')

by gemsofformenos



Series: My Works for Azulaweek 2020 [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azulaweek2020, Friendship, Frustration, Gen, Isolation, daring friendship, sometimes you need to break something to feel better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24876085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemsofformenos/pseuds/gemsofformenos
Summary: Azulaweek 2020 Day 3 (Friendship): Azula hates parties since she has returned and so she left to get some fresh air. But obviously she isn't the only one who had a bad day.
Series: My Works for Azulaweek 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1818124
Comments: 5
Kudos: 28





	Fire and Stone (Day 3 of the Azulaweek 2020 Prompt: 'Friendship')

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody. This one here is something special to me cause I have the inspiration from a new found friend of mine and I am so thankful and so sad at the same time for it. Starting point for this one is an advice Toph will give Azula in this story. The advise is based on a quote of Kurt Vonnegut. The quote was a favorite of my friend’s mother who passed away this year and without my friend and her love for the works of Kurt Vonnegut this one would have never exist
> 
> To Sunny: I am thankful for the light I have found in your kind heart. I am thankful for the friendship I found and for all the support and care you’re sharing with me. You’re such a strong person, an talented and creative artist and you have such a big caring heart. May you always have this warming sunshine in your heart. *Hugs*
> 
> I do recommend everyone to check out her wonderful art and her great Midge Comics. You can find her at tumblr: sunnyartsstudio.tumblr.com or at deviantart: deviantart.com/sunnyarts

Azula has expected that this would become a bad evening. She has expected that it would be hard and humiliating. But no matter how much she has tried to be prepared of this evening, it has been ten time worse.

Azula has never been the biggest fan of parties. The Princess knew that occasions like this are vital in the game. At no place like these kind of celebrations you could get the clearest pictures of friend or foes. Those events were never about celebration, it was about who was important, who was not and how could someone make a use of their position or their connections. The Fire Lord was holding a celebration and being invited or not alone was a statement.

And so it was to show up or not and Agni Azula really had no interest to show up at this evening with all these accusing or pitied eyes on her. It was an evening to celebrate that Zuko and the Avatar have finally ended the war.

They would celebrate their victory over Ozai.

They would celebrate that Zuko has restored the honor of the family and the Nation.

They would celebrate that he has cleaned them from shame.

Shame she has brought to the Nation and her family too by being blind for the lies she hasn't noticed for too long.

But Azula was stubborn and she refused to give her opponents a reason to call her weak. She wouldn't shy away before a bunch of aristocrat, generals and councilmen, nobles and members of the government who would love to use Zuko's trust in her against him. And so she was here smiling away the empty compliments and sweet quotes which carried poisoned knifes in it to pierce her guards.

Azula was thankful and angry for Zuko's company, who was around her to protect her before the sneer and spite and to give her confident and support but on the other side it was only outlining that she was too fragile to handle it alone.

But she was alone without him and nothing showed this fact better than the reactions of his friends.

Aang has been the one who disguised his remaining doubts the best. The young Avatar has grown into his role and seemed to be well aware how every step of him was under observation so he hugged her as a greeting but Azula felt his tension. The other greetings have been a disaster and the Princess knew that her isolated position was now exposed to the tiger shark tank. The snow savages have barely nodded a greeting to her, Mai has ignored her completely and Ty Lee and Suki kept avoiding her.

Azula was back, but she was alone and at her daily routine she could cover up this fact or at least find distraction but right here, surrounded by all these people she felt more isolated and abandoned than any time before. And so she left Zuko's side at the first chance to do so without risking a bigger rumor for him to get fresh air. Soon the noise of the chatting and laughing faded at the background and her way lead her towards the training place beside the garden.

Azula felt the shame rushing in big waves over her. She was back but for what? All she could see was her weakness and mistakes which have lead her into this situation. Zuko trusted her. He had hope for her and has told her that he would need her help, her company, that he had faith in her but all she was, was a weakness. 

A risk. 

And maybe even a threat.

Azula felt her chest tightened. Tears started to come to her eyes and the shame about her mortifying weakness let them only run stronger. She has brought this to herself and now she wasn't even strong enough to endure the price for her blindness.

She didn't notice the pebble coming until it hit her at the head. Azula was turning around fast and was about to throw a fireball at the person who has dared to throw the little stone at her but she stopped in motion as she noticed the blind woman coming closer to her with an slightly upset face.

“I bet it's against the protocol to ignore an honored guest and to leave the celebration before welcoming me.“

Azula huffed annoyed and let her flames die. Toph was facing her look with her milky green eyes. It was astonishing how this woman managed to face her so well while being blind.

“I welcomed all important guests who managed to show up in time.“

Azula crossed her arms before her chest and her voice had an dangerous edge but to her surprise it caused only a smirk from the Earthbender.

“Outch, that's rough. That must have been a lot of dirty hands to shake. The whole hall stinks of important high born hippo cow dung which gets piled up to see who comes out clean or who'll need a real long shower.“

Azula raised an eyebrow.

“What do you want?“

The Earthbender smiled dangerous.

“Answers. And since I can’t get them at least some distraction.“

Her smile faded and Azula's suspicious look grew.

“But first, what do you think of a little sparring? You seem like you could use to let of some steam and to be honest I could use it too.”

Azula suppressed a little curse and wiped her face dry carefully not to ruin her make-up even more. She was angry with herself to have given such a mortifying display that even the blind woman was able to notice her sadness and distress. She preferred to end this little meeting better sooner than later.

“Sorry, but neither I’m dressed for sparring nor do I think your precious friends or my brother would love to see me toasting you at sparring no matter how promising the idea might be.”

Toph shrugged shoulders and tugged at her silken robe. 

“Pffft. Bold of you to think you could toast my butt, Princess. But okay do like you wish. I need to break some things first before I have the drive to meet all these fake smiles in there. And I even can’t see them.”

She waved her hand before her blind eyes and stomped on the ground. Five big stone pillars emerged at the end of the place and with a second stomp five boulders jumped up in front of Toph who punched each one of them towards the pillars. Her self-created targets crackled into dust at the impacts. The Earthbender didn’t took notice of the Princess anymore and moved towards the middle of the trainings place and continued creating and crushing one target after another. Azula observed her for some time. Finally she turned away from the place but stopped again after a few steps. The Princess lighted a flame on one of her palms and observed her fire dancing for a moment, before she closed her hand to a fist with a groan.

Toph was busy smashing targets and didn’t care about the layers of dust which started to cover her and her expensive silken green robe. She needed that right now. She was about to blow another new raised pillar as the stone exploded in a rain of dirt and fire. The Earthbender smirked satisfied. Azula’s light footsteps came closer to her and Toph started to raise more targets so the Princess could blast them into glowing pieces. It was no sparring, but it was a start and so both women were soon standing side by side within a cloud of dust while they were busy giving the trainings place a new look. About half an hour later Azula finally dared to open the conversation again.

“You mentioned you’re searching for answers?”

Azula’s question came out of nowhere and beside her best tries her voice carried a little nervousness Toph didn’t miss. The Earthbender nodded, while moving two pillars permanently to give Azula a more difficult target to blast.

“Correct. Since months in fact and tonight I hoped to get some but it seems that I have only found another dead end.”

Azula frowned and left her fighting stance and so Toph stopped moving the targets as well. Her face was serious and a bit sad.

“My family had friends in Ba Sing Se. Their daughter disappeared within the walls years ago, the case was never solved. I tried to use my family name and their connections to reopen the case and to get insight into the files but without any success. I had a meeting with this evening with the ambassador of the Earthkingdom to get more support, but it was a just a dead end.”

Azula raised an eyebrow. She could feel an unsettling feeling raising in her stomach.

“They keep blocking your researches. I assume you have a suspicion why.”

Toph closed her hands to fists and the ground around her started to crack.

“You can bet your royal ass that I have and it seems you already have too.”

Azula stayed quiet for a moment. Sure she had but she couldn’t get rid of this strange tickle. 

“Dai Li.”

Toph nodded grim.

“That’s what I fear. My asks get blocked and no one dares to help me so I think their daughter have been taken and turned into a Joo Dee years ago but without insight at the files I have no chance to start a search for her.”

Azula frowned deeper and placed her hand on her chin while she started to walk circles around Toph.

“I remember that there has to be hundreds of Joo Dees at Ba Sing Se. What happened to them?”

Toph’s face got darker.

“The Dai Li still exists. The men may have fallen from grace but their networks are still working and they already manage to reestablish their influence. They have brought all Joo Dees to special housing areas where they can keep them isolated, that’s all I know. So far they seem to have no use for them anymore. No one cares about them and their fate and the Dai Li seems to be fine with this situation.”

Azula stopped walking and her look was dark.

“And since the Dai Li is involved no one really dares to stir up things.”

Toph cracked her knuckles.

“Oh I dared and still do, but against the Dai Li the name BeiFong alone hasn’t enough punch to open the door.”

Azula felt this prickle of excitement rising up. A dangerous smirk came to her lips.

“Well but what about the name BeiFong and the Royal family?”

Toph’s face lighted up a bit, but Azula noticed a little sadness in it.

“Zuko is still busy to heal wounds within the Fire Nation and to reconnect with the others. So does Aang. Of course they do help me but…”

Azula’s smile grew.

“But I could take the main work around this task for Zuzu. And I know the Dai Li. I would have the time to keep up the pressure to get them moving.”

Toph’s face finally formed a dangerous grin.

“We would piss off a lot of people. This sounds like real fun.”

To Azula’s surprise she got a thump on her shoulder. She watched in anger at Toph who was smiling at her.

“Thanks for joining me here, Azula. I needed that.”

Azula rubbed her shoulder in confusion as she got pulled at Toph’s side. The Earthbender’s mood was at a new high.

“What do you think. Should we shock some party guests? I bet we look like we’ve wrestled with some comodo rhinos.”

Azula checked her robe and then Toph’s. The red and green dresses were covered with dust and dirt, their hair were ruined too. The Princess stiffened instantly.

“No way that these idiots will see me like that. This…”

Toph let out a barking laugh.

“Azula, these idiots have to see you like that. Who cares what they might think. Let me tell you something. The real reason we are here is to fart around and that’s all. Don’t let anybody tell you any different. If you have realized this, than all these idiots will look even more stupid than they might have so far.”

The smirk of the Earthbender got impish.

“And beside, can you imagine the big wave Sugar Queen will make when we’re showing up like this or Zuko’s mad face when he’ll see the trainings place?”

Azula turned back and couldn’t suppress a little laughter. The trainings ground looked like a volcano has erupted in the middle of it. It was more a battlefield right now than anything else. The Firebender checked her robe a final time and turned back to Toph.

“I bet you can be the perfect noble if needed?”

Toph instantly got the idea behind it and chuckled.

“Of course and I will be very polite to tell the guest how much their dresses do look out of place for such an event.”

Azula snickered as well and both women started their way back to the party. The Princess felt a new confidence so she decided to use it before anyone else could hear it or if her second thought would shut her mouth.

“You was right. I needed that.”

Toph gave her a friendly shove and the Earthbender’s smile was surprisingly warm.

“You’re welcome. All of us need a friend sometimes.”

Azula nearly stumbled but Toph caught her with a laughter.

“Come on. And don’t forget you’ll have to describe me their stupid faces when the party is over.”


End file.
